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All Blacks

Newlands becomes Boo-lands

Cape Town fans of New Zealand rugby teams, including the All Blacks, are one of the main reasons the South African Rugby Union doesn't stage Tests at Newlands very often.

After more complaints from South African players about behaviour of the largely coloured rugby fans who support New Zealand sides, after the Crusaders game at the weekend, the SARU wrote to the Western Province Rugby Union to say 'enough is enough' in relation to the over-zealous local fans.

The last time the All Blacks played South Africa in Cape Town was in 2008.

Springbok wing Bryan Habana took to Twitter to complain about the crowd behaviour saying he would happily buy one-way tickets to Christchurch for 'Cape Crusaders' fans.

He said he doubted if there was any place in the world where home teams got booed off their team bus when arriving at grounds.

Team coach Allister Coetzee said the players knew they had to face this problem.

"We've learnt in the past that it's something that shouldn't really affect us mentally, but in no circumstances is it a normal thing. We can't deny that.

"Yet we are the most diverse union in this country and still the team doesn't get support...somewhere, there's something wrong.

"It's out of our hands, out of our control. You can't force people to support the Stormers."

Coetzee said it wasn't a new phenomenon and it was something that went back a long way. The same group commonly supported the All Blacks when they played during the apartheid era.

Western Province president Thelo Wakefield told sport24.co.za, "It makes it tougher and tougher to get the All Blacks to play in Cape Town.

"I am losing the battle at Saru to convince the executive to play the All Blacks Test in Cape Town.

"I think all these incidents at Stormers-Crusaders games are the major reason why Saru takes the All Blacks rather to Port Elizabeth or up north," he said.